Seven Stories of NaLu love
by Armageddon Angel
Summary: Seven Stories for NaLu week using prompts from the tumblr page. Enjoy and Happy NaLu Week
1. Lucy's Birthday

**Hello, boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.**

**Today begins NaLu week so to celebrate, here are seven stories of NaLu Love. Enjoy.**

_**Seven Stories of NaLu Love**_

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**Lucy's Birthday**

[Birth]

A woman's struggle was echoing throughout the delivery room. Layla Heartfilia was about to give birth to her child. Doctors were guiding her, watching her vitals and checking on the baby as it was being born. Her husband, Jude, was with her, holding her hand throughout her ordeal. From the time her water broke until now, it has been almost eighteen hours and still no baby. But they were getting close. She could feel it.

"Okay, Heartfilia-san." The doctor attending her said. "Keep pushing. I can see the head."

Layla grunted, groaned and screamed as she pushed. The pain was immense, like nothing she had ever felt with her.

"You're almost there, Layla." Jude comforted. "Think about holding your baby in your arms for the first time and use that as an aide to get through this."

Layla, annoyed that Jude had the audacity of saying that when she was the one going through the pain, ignored him and focused on pushing. She could hear the wails of her little baby as she did.

"You're halfway done, Hearfilia-san." The doctor told her. "One more push and you'll be holding your child."

With a mighty effort, Layla pushed. Then, all of a sudden, instead of pain, she felt a great relief because it was over.

"Congratulations, Heartfilia-san." The doctor said. "It's a girl, a healthy baby girl. Give us a moment to clean her up and you'll be holding her in no time."

The doctors went about cleaning the afterbirth from the baby, weighing her, measuring her and swaddling her. Afterwards, they handed her to Layla and exited the room to give them a moment of privacy.

Layla cried tears of joy as she held her daughter. All of that pain, everything she endured during the birth was quickly forgotten as soon as the baby was in her mother's arms. Jude looked with a happy smile. His daughter was finally born. There were no words to describe how he felt. His daughter, his beautiful daughter...

"Happy birthday, Lucy." Layla whispered to her daughter. "Happy birthday, my dear Lucy."

Baby Lucy fell asleep, surrounded by her loving mother and father.

[Age 1]

_Happy birthday to you._

_Happy birthday to you._

_Happy birthday, dear Lucy_

_Happy birthday to you_

Baby Lucy had no idea what was going on. Her parents were singing Happy Birthday. She was wearing a party hat that she kept trying to take off her head. There was a small cake in front of her with a single candle on it and a present next to it. Jude was taking pictures of Lucy in front of the cake while Layla blew out the candle for her.

Jude had wanted to throw a more extravagant party for his daughter but his new business was eating up a lot of their finances. So this was all they could afford. Still Lucy was healthy and growing by leaps and bounds. She really completed the family. He really couldn't ask for more, could he?

"Mama, Papa." Lucy said in her cute one year old voice. "Wan 'ake"

Layla smiled and took a fork to the cake, cutting it into a toddler size portion. She started feeding Lucy her birthday cake.

Lucy was surrounded by her loving mother and father on her first birthday.

[Age 5]

"Happy birthday, Lucy." Her mother smiled as she led her daughter into the dining room.

Lucy was in awe of how it was decorated. There were streamers and balloons everywhere. Many of the servants were holding wrapped gifts to give her on her birthday.

And the cake, the cake stole the show. It was a huge sheet with her face on it.

There were many children from respectable circle who had attended her birthday. Her father was using her birthday as a way to meet prospective clients. But Lucy didn't care. Her mother was there, holding her hand and leading her to the table so that she could blow out the candles for her cake.

As they all sang Happy Birthday, Lucy couldn't help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world. She blew out the five candles and made her wish.

Lucy was with her loving mother on her fifth birthday.

[Age 9]

It had been a hard couple of months. Lucy's mother passed away. Her father retreated into his work, leaving the young blonde girl by herself. Sure, she was surrounded by the staff who cared for her but it just wasn't the same as her family

She decided to spend some time with her father. With some help from the kitchen staff, Lucy made a rice ball to give to her father. With the courage of a nine year, Lucy entered the large study.

Her father was writing some sort of paper when she entered. "Papa, I made a rice ball for you." She said with a smile.

Her father paid no attention to Lucy. The little girl cleared her throat to get Jude's attention.

"I'm working. Go away." Jude said to his daughter in an indifferent voice.

Lucy hung her head and frown. With a quiet 'yes', she walked towards the door. She turned around and tried to get her father's attention again.

"**DIDN'T I TELL YOU YOU'RE BOTHERING ME, LUCY**." Her father yelled at her, shocking the poor girl and reducing her to tears.. "Cooking will be done by our chefs. If you have time for something like that, go do your studies. Now get out." He roared while pointing at the door.

Lucy ran towards the door, opened it and closed it behind her. She dropped the rice ball. It rolled away from her, forgotten in her sorrow. She slumped up against the door and started crying. "Today is my birthday." She sobbed.

Lucy spent her ninth birthday crying.

[Age 13]

The Heartfilia house servants spared no effort to make Lucy's birthday the best one ever. The mansion was decorated. Entertainment was hired. The food was exquisite. Basically, it was everything a thirteen year old with near unlimited resources could ever want.

But it didn't matter to Lucy. What she wanted, she couldn't have. Her mother was gone. Her father was in another city hammering out a partnership with the mayor to get his company to have exclusive rights to building a railroad hub. He didn't even explain or send a card or anything. He just left as if he had more important things to do than spend time with his daughter.

When the servants finally brought out the cake, Lucy couldn't help but feel depressed. Even though she was surrounded by people, the blonde felt all alone.

_Happy Birthday to me_

_Happy Birthday to me_

_Happy Birthday dear Lucy_

_I am so alone_.

A tear fell along the contours of her cheeks.

Lucy felt all alone on her thirteen birthday

[Age 16]

Lucy's sixteenth birthday was a grand affair. This would be her debutante ball, where she will be introduced as a eligible young woman. And what a woman she had become. She had an enviable figure and was heir to the Heartfilia fortune. People of elite circles would be attending her birthday with their marriageable sons, hoping to be picked to be married to Lucy.

The blonde kept her face neutral as the boys devoured her with their eyes. Little did they know that she had plans of her own. Pretty soon, she would be leaving home and going on a journey to discover herself. She was going to follow her heart, just like her mother did before her.

So let the boys rake their eyes over her body. Let their fathers schmooze up to her father trying to make themselves more favorable in his eyes. Let her own father think that she is still under his thumb. Boy, were they going to be surprised when they find out she's gone.

Lucy spent her sixteenth birthday scheming her escape.

[Age 17]

Lucy was on the road with her mother's Stellar Spirits. She was finally living the life of an adventurer just like her mother did before she got married. This was everything she ever wanted from life.

And yet, as she thought while she was resting at an inn, the Stellar Spirit mage found herself purposeless and directionless. Even though she got the freedom to do whatever she wanted, Lucy wanted something more from life. Maybe she should join a guild. But which guild? There's so many to choose from.

After combing through the latest Sorcerer's Weekly magazine, Lucy decided to spend the rest of her birthday in quiet contemplation. After a quick prayer to her mother, Lucy went to sleep.

Lucy spent her seventeenth birthday confused as to what she wanted to do. Little did she know that purpose was going to find her in the guise of one Natsu Dragneel not even a week later.

[Age 18]

It was weird. Today is Lucy's birthday. Technically she should be 25 but she, and many others, had lost seven years due to the events of Tenrou Island. She is actually 18 years old and has spent more than a year and a half in Fairy Tail. (There's some of the complexities of dealing with lost time.) And it was the best. Lucy never would have thought that she would ever fit in with this guild but boy was she wrong.

Fairy Tail had done so much for her. They cared for her, protected her and cultivated her into the proud woman that she is today.

Today, the entire guild was in Crocus for day one of the Grand Magic Games. However, Lucy failed spectacularly. Her opponent used a dirty trick to force her into submission. When Lucy tried to turn the tide in her favor, her ultimate spell was cancelled out. She felt useless. But then Natsu cheered her up, just like he always did. Now they were celebrating as if Fairy Tail had won the day. With Natsu's arm around her shoulders, Lucy felt like the happiest girl in the world.

Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy was quite confused as to how she felt about him. At first, the blonde saw Natsu as this childish teenager who was freakishly strong. But little by little, the Stellar Spirit mage started to see the Fire Dragon Slayer in a new light. She saw him as noble, someone who would go to the ends of the earth to help a nakama. When Natsu was by her side, she felt no fear. She could always count on him to go on a mission with her.

And, Lucy had to admit that Natsu was attractive in the rough and tumble sort of way. His training had left his body with some nicely developed muscles and abs. And the pink hair was cute in a way. And that scarf he always wears... Her feelings for Natsu wasn't limited to the physical. Lucy also loved the fact that he was always there for her, no matter what. He also had a pure soul. He was just so honest about everything. Lucy saw him as a light that shone in deepest darkness. Natsu was everything she could want in a boyfriend, not that she'd tell him...yet.

Lucy didn't tell the guild that it was her birthday today. She didn't want them to go out of their way for her, especially Natsu. Besides, being a Fairy Tail mage was the best present anyone could ask for anyways. Even though she had lost, today was a great day.

Lucy spent her eighteenth birthday surrounded by friends and by Natsu's side.

[Age 19]

Lucy wasn't expecting to celebrate her birthday today. She wanted to spend the day with Natsu and Happy going on a mission.

By now, they had been dating for about seven months now. Natsu made Lucy happy in every way. The best thing was that not much changed when they started dating. They still had a strong friendship but now their was another layer to their relationship, a romantic one. The Stellar Spirit mage would have never believed that the Fire Dragon would be a considerate boyfriend. But her pink haired boyfriend had surprised her... in a good way.

Back to the birthday...

Lucy had yet to tell Natsu or anyone in the guild that it was her birthday. Once again, she didn't want them to go out of her way for her. But her aunt had sent her a parcel near her birthday. It was a beautiful holosphere which was able to display images through magic. What Lucy didn't realize was that there was a note inside the parcel telling her about her birthday. Natsu and Happy found the note and told Mira who got the guild ready.

On the day of her birthday, Natsu took Lucy to the guild. When she had entered, she was blown away. Her friends shouted Happy Birthday. The blonde couldn't believe it. Everyone was there, her teammates, her friends, everyone. Lucy couldn't help the tears from forming.

"How did you guys know?" She asked.

Happy took this time to fly up to her. He handed Lucy a letter. "This was in the box that the holosphere was in." He explained. "I'm sorry that we read it."

Tears started to form in Lucy's eyes. "You guys..."

Natsu hugged her with one arm. "We were a little sad when you didn't tell us when your birthday was."

Lucy shook her head. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

Erza stood up. "It is a big deal." She told the girl. "You are our nakama, family."

Gray was the next to speak. "We are showing you how much you mean to Fairy Tail."

Natsu held her firm. "So don't you say it isn't a big deal to you because it's a big deal to us."

Master Makarov cleared his throat. "Now that the guest of honor is here, I say we party all day to celebrate Lucy's birthday."

A loud cheer erupted from the guild.

Lucy spent the day celebrating her birthday with her friends while in the loving embrace of Natsu.

[Age 23]

Lucy couldn't believe it. So she looked at the stick again. Again, it was the same.

Two blue lines.

She couldn't believe what her body was telling her so she went to the doctor. The doctor confirmed what the strip and her body was telling her.

Lucy Heartfilia is pregnant.

She couldn't wait to tell Natsu when he came back from the guild.

When Natsu returned to their shared home, he found Lucy sitting on the couch in the living room in total shock.

"Hey, Luce." Natsu greeted. "Happy birthday."

Lucy barely heard him. Her mind was still swirling over the news that she had just received. She nodded, thinking about a way to tell her boyfriend about it.

"I couldn't think of anything to give you for your birthday." Natsu sighed. "But don't worry..." He would have said more but Lucy cut him off with a finger to her lips.

"You don't need to." Lucy whispered. "You've already given me the best birthday present ever." She said with a hand to her stomach.

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Lucy handed Natsu the strip. He read it quite carefully. The more times he read it, the more his eyes widened. The pink haired mage looked at the strip, then to Lucy who had her hand on her stomach, then back at the strip, then back at Lucy.

"You're pregnant?" Natsu choked out.

Lucy nodded.

At once, a face splitting grin crossed Natsu's face. He couldn't believe it. She was going to be a mommy. He was going to be a daddy. He couldn't help the laughter and tears that rocked his body. He picked up Lucy and swung her around in joy. They laughed and laughed, thankful of their good fortune.

Lucy spent her twenty-third birthday in the loving embrace of her boyfriend, awaiting the birth of their baby.

[Age 30]

Lucy was in bed, sleeping when the bedroom door burst open, startling the Stellar Spirit mage. When her eyes adjusted, she saw her husband, Natsu, Happy and their six year old son, Igneous Jude, holding a tray of food.

"Happy birthday, mommy." They shouted at the top of their lungs.

Lucy smiled. "Thank you." She replied.

Natsu set the tray on Lucy's lap. "Iggy wanted to make you breakfast in bed so we made you some eggs, bacon and toast." He told her.

"Thank you, Iggy." Lucy smiled.

Iggy smiled back. Lucy loved her son's smile. It reminded her of his father. "I also made you a card." He said. Iggy reached in his back pocket and handed it to Lucy.

_On the outside, it read:_

_To the most wonderfulest mommy in the world._

_Happy Birthday, mommy_

On the inside, there was a stick figure drawing of a woman with blond hair with a birthday hat on her head. She was smiling with a guy with pink hair, a little boy with pink hair and a blue cat.

Lucy couldn't help the tears that started to form. "Thank you, Iggy," She said. "It's the best card I've ever gotten." That made little Iggy's day.

"So come on, Luce." Natsu told his wife. "Eat up. We have a whole day planned for the birthday girl."

Lucy spent her thirtieth birthday with her family and she couldn't be happier.

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**Well that's the first prompt. Now six to go.  
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**Loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.  
**

**A. Angel**


	2. Fairy Tale

**Well, here's chapter two. If you've read my stories before, you have probably noticed how I tend to write from a third person omniscient perspective. I like it because I get to explore my characters inner feelings and emotions from it. However, this time, I am writing from a first person narrative. It will be my actual voice, not the voice of a character, speaking. I wanted this story to be as if I was telling you a memory while you are standing next to me. This is an unusual way of going about this story, especially because of the prompt.  
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**I hope you enjoy.  
**

**Fairy Tale**

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I worked as a teacher's aide in an internship program in college. I helped one of the local middle schools near my college with whatever they needed, grading papers, proctoring exams, and taking attendance. It was two of the most memorable years of my life, mentoring children.

My favorite memory is when we took the class to the city museum. There was an exhibit from the kingdom of Rosion, a kingdom that once ruled the ancient world for over 1500 years. Oh you should have seen the children's faces when they saw it. It was spectacular. There was artwork that withstood the march of time, vases and jugs with ornate designs, weapons and armors that was used to dominate the battlefield and many more pieces.

But the thing that caught my eye was a mirror. I know it's weird. Me, a guy, being interested in a mirror. But the mirror is actually pretty beautiful. It was very well designed considering the method used to make it. It stands about 12 feet tall. The outside trim was made of gold with the emblem of the Rosion Kingdom on top and the crest of the ruling family, the Heartfilia, on the bottom. The inner edges of the trim was cast-silver with various inscriptions in it denoting ancient spells to ward away demons and such that people believed worked in ancient times. The mirror itself was free of smudges, cracks and blemishes which was impressive considering that it is over a thousand years old. On the mirror pane, there was an etching of intertwined roses which I thought was a very nice touch. Whoever made this mirror, I thought, was very skilled at what he did.

I asked one of the tour guides about the mirror. He said that this mirror had a particular legend surrounding it. I gathered the kids and he told the story.

You see, during the time the mirror was commissioned, the Heartfilia family were the current ruling family of the Rosion Kingdom. King Jude and Queen Layla ruled over the land with a just hand. The Heartfilia were passionate about art and commissioned many of the pieces that were in the museum today. It's because of the Heartfilia that we know so much about art and history of the Rosion Kingdom.

Now legend goes that they had a daughter named Lucy whose beauty was well known throughout the kingdom. She was the apple of her parents' eyes. It is said that people from other countries traveled from far and wide just to catch a glimpse of her.

Princess Lucy, like her parents before her, loved art. She personally forged friendships with many of the artisans in the kingdom. One such friendship would define her life forever. It was with a local glassmith named Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu Dragneel (many Rosion historians debate on whether or not an actual Natsu existed or if he was just the archetypal name attributed to glass artisans whose names have been lost to history) forged many beautiful glassworks, some of which can still be seen today in the major museums. He started in his father's, Igneel, trade and, at age 13, became famous for his sculptures. One of his most famous works is a glass dragon that can be seen in the Rosion palace, guarding the gateway of the kingdom. To think that something so fragile has endured for hundreds of years. It's amazing.

Princess Lucy encouraged and cultivated his talents. The legend goes that the more time the princess spent with the glassmith, the deeper their feelings got until one day, they fell in love with each other.

Of course, their love could never be. She was a princess arranged to be married to a prince from another kingdom. He was a but a lowly commoner who only produced artwork for the Heartfilias.

Many writers have penned stories on the love between the artist Natsu and the princess Lucy. One of the most famous of these works was written by the author Lucinox. His play, Separated by Glass, chronicles their romance.

"My dear Natsu." Lucy says in the play. "Oh how I curse my fate. Oh how I wish that I was not a princess. I wish I was but a common woman. Then we could be together. Or, if the three sisters who weave fate deem my station to be that of a noble, I wish that we would elope. We could run away together, to a far off land where no one knows that I am a princess. We could live a quiet life as husband and wife. I would bear your child and we would be happy."

Natsu's reply is probably the most heartbreaking line in the whole play. "My dear Lucy. That would make me so happy. But alas, you are a princess. I cannot be your prince, milady. We cannot be for our fate was written before we were born. Our love is proscribed as against the grand design. I must let you go. You will soon be married to another man. You will bear his children. And I must watch from afar, so close and yet so far away."

In my senior year of high school, we did a rendition of this play. (I played an awesome Igneel if I do say so myself.) And when the man who played Natsu said this line, I swear to you, all of the girls broke down crying.

Anyways, back to the story. Princess Lucy was arranged to be married to first son of the Laytis family, a man named Hibiki. The Heartfilia family commissioned Natsu to create a magnificent gift for the couple. The glassmith agreed. His gift to the soon-to-be married couple is this very mirror.

However, as soon as the mirror was completed, Natsu passed away. Historians attribute his death to the fumes he must have inhaled while working at his trade. But romantics are more divided. There are some that say Natsu took his own life so that he wouldn't have to see Lucy be married to another man. Others say that he died of a broken heart. I don't know what I believe but if I had to make a choice, I'd say he died of a broken heart.

Natsu Dragneel was given a state funeral, the highest honor a common man could ever home to receive. The Kingdom of Rosion mourned his death for weeks, saddened to see such a talented young man die so young. His body was buried in the royal graveyard. If you go to where the Rosion Kingdom was once centralized, you can visit his memorial. It is a large stone block with his name and the epitaph "My dear Lucy, may we meet in the next life and may the heavens grant us our boon that when we do, you will take my hand and come with me as we follow the tail of the fairies." (Those were his last lines in Lucinox's play, if you didn't know.) Historians do not believe that Natsu is buried there. It was probably put in 200 years ago by country officials who wanted the glassmith to be their famous national citizen.

Princess Lucy, in the legends, was depressed from that day forward. Her beloved passed away and she was about to marry a man whom she did not love in two months' time. But things take a turn for the better, at least it does if you are one of those people who believe in true love.

Natsu's apprentice, a young boy by the name of Romeo, was instructed to deliver the mirror, along with a letter that was only to be read by the princess and the princess only. He gave Lucy the letter along with the mirror and left.

When Lucy was all alone, she opened the letter and began to read.

_My dear Lucy, if you are reading this letter, then my spirit has left the mortal coil. Do not shed your tears for me for you are not alone. My last gift for you is me. This mirror contains my heart and my love for you. For whenever your eyes gaze upon this glass, you will see me and I will see you. We shall be together forever. Though our love may assail the heavenly plan, it will endure for all time. My dear Lucy, may we meet in the next life and may the heavens grant us our boon that when we do, you will take my hand and come with me as we follow the tail of the fairies._

Lucy's tears stained the letter. The man she loved wrote these words from the bottom of his heart. The princess folded the letter and put it inside her dress next to her heart. She then looked at the mirror, made by the skillful hands of Natsu Dragneel. She saw her reflection in the pane. However, the longer she stared, the more the image started to change until it took on the visage of her beloved. Now if you are one who believes in this sort of thing, the Natsu reflection reached out his hand from his side of the glass. Lucy took his hand and, legend has it, stepped through the mirror to join him.

When the king and queen went to see their daughter, they found Lucy lying slump at the foot of the mirror. Queen Layla lets loose a horrific scream while King Jude calls for the royal doctor. The doctor declared her dead. However, he couldn't determine how a young, vibrant woman like Lucy could just suddenly die.

This is where the legend and the play differ. In the legend, the story ends there, leaving the listener to interpret Princess Lucy's fate. In the play, the King and Queen look at the mirror to see their daughter in the arms of the glassmith. They were smiling and looking very happy to finally be together. By royal decree, the King declared that the mirror be preserved so that Natsu and Lucy, who could not be together in this life, can live within the mirror's world.

As the tour guide finishes his story, I have to admit that I really did enjoy it. I don't believe in magic mirrors and I'm not really into the star-crossed lovers deal. But even I have to admit that there is a certain appeal to this story.

The children go about the museum, looking at the other exhibits and chatting with friends. I, however, stare into the mirror. I can see my reflection in it. My hair is a bit tousled but other than that, I would have to say that I'm looking pretty good today.

Wait!

What's going on? Why is my reflection being distorted? Is it a trick of the light?

As I look into the mirror some more. I can see a curious sight. I see a pink haired man embracing a blond haired woman. They are both smiling I look behind me and see no one there. I turn back around to look in the mirror and I can only see myself.

I wonder. Could what I have seen been the artisan Natsu and the princess Lucy? Maybe it's in my imagination. But if it is true, I can only hope that they be happy forever living in that mirror world.

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**Two prompts down. Five to go.**

**Loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.**

**Until tomorrow,**

**A. Angel**


	3. Cuddle

**Welcome to chapter three. This is something quick because I really can't think. This was a harder prompt to write than I had imagined. Well, enjoy.**

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**Cuddle**

Magnolia was experiencing a devastating heat wave this week. Temperatures have reached 110 F (43 Celsius) in the daytime and drop to 80 F (27 C) at night. Many of the citizens either retreated into their houses for most of the day or went to the beach or the pool to cool off. And it was expected to last another brutal week.

Fairy Tail was no different when it came to beating the heat. Many of its resident mages were suffering under the sweltering heat. Gray, who would normally be suffering heat exhaustion, found relief thanks to his girlfriend of three years, Juvia. They found that the best way to cool off was to fill their basement with ice water and stay there until the heat broke. Erza had to forgo her usual armor in favor of a white blouse and skirt. The famed Titania normally didn't mind wearing this outfit but being without any sort of armor for days on end drove her up the wall. She couldn't wait for the heat wave to die so that she could go back to wearing some. Happy had to shave his outer coat because of the heat. Of course, the blue Exceed did it himself which resulted in very bad nicks that were quite painful. You can bet that the next time he has to shave his fur, a professional will do it. However, the resident Stellar Spirit was suffering the worst of it. The reason Lucy is because of her boyfriend of close to two and a half years Natsu Dragneel.

Let me explain.

We all know that Natsu is a Fire Dragon Slayer. What you may or may not know is that because of this, his body temperature is much higher than it is for the average mage, which means he also gives off much more body heat. Now this isn't a problem during the winter time. In fact, when the weather starts getting colder, Lucy instinctively seeks out Natsu to "warm her up" in several senses of the words. It's when the weather gets hot that it becomes a problem.

Another thing you need to know about Natsu is that he loves to cuddle. He is a physical man, through and through. He loves to hold, caress, kiss, nip, cuddle, spoon and whatever other physical word you can come up with. Actually, all Fairy Tail men love to cuddle. (With Gray, this was an unspoken fact but not something he would admit to. Gajeel would rather die than admit it. And Elfman would shout out at the top of his lungs that cuddling is MAN.) And he loved cuddling with Lucy. Natsu loved the way that her body instinctively molded to fit his, how their arms and legs tangled so deliciously, how her hair smelled of the conditioner and gel that she used before she went to sleep, how her large breasts pressed against his bare chest, everything. Lucy-cuddles, as the Dragon Slayer so aptly named it, was tremendously enhanced after a night of nocturnal activities.

And though Lucy would get red in the face if this fact was ever brought up, the blonde loved this kind of affection as well. Being in Natsu's strong made her feel warm and safe, like nothing could hurt her. She loved every minute of it. But not during this heat wave. In fact, ever since it started getting hot, Lucy forced Natsu to sleep on the couch. Normally, when the pink haired mage was forced to sleep on the couch (which he hated because it was too small and lumpy in all the wrong places), it was because he did something to piss of the Stellar Spirit mage. But she was making him spend the night on that lumpy abomination for something he really couldn't control.

Poor Natsu! He was suffering from Lucy-cuddles withdrawal syndrome and he didn't like it. He wanted to hold her in his arms while he slept. He needed to do something about this.

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This was the mindset that the Dragon Slayer was in on day four without Lucy-cuddles. He was sitting with his head slumped on the table he was sitting at. The Fire Dragon Slayer was not a happy camper Across from him was Gray who was also sitting with his head slumped against the table. His reason for this was that he was freakin' hot. Today, neither Natsu nor Gray had the energy to fight each other.

A strange thing happened in Natsu and Gray's "frenemy" relationship as they got older. They actually started fighting less. I know! It seems impossible. But ever since they started dating Lucy and Juvia respectively, they had stopped fighting every day. It became once every other day and then once a week and then once every other week. Some Fairy Tail mages had theories as to why this was but Cana probably had the best. She said that ever since Natsu and Gray hit puberty, they suffered from too much testosterone and sexual frustration that the only relief was pounding each other's faces. But now that the Fire Dragon Slayer had his Stellar Spirit mage and the Ice Mage had his Water Mage, they now had an outlet for their frustration which helped to calm them.

Natsu moaned into the table.

"What is your problem?" Gray groaned.

"Lucy has me sleeping on the couch." The pink haired man whined. "She won't let me cuddle with her."

Gray made a noncommittal grunt.

"Is Juvia letting you cuddle with her?" Natsu asked.

Gray's ears turned a bit red. "I guess." He mumbled. "I don't really notice."

The ice mage heard another Natsu whine.

"So it's just me." He complained. "Why is it that Lucy won't cuddle with me?"

Gray was getting sick of hearing Natsu whining. "Have you ever considered it's because that being around you is like being in an oven? You're freakin' roasting her alive, flame-brain."

Natsu stood up sharply. However, he quickly sat back down. As much as Gray was annoying, he was right.

"What should I do?" He asked.

"Buy an air conditioner." Gray mumbled into the table. "Now stop whining and leave me alone."

Natsu had no words to say. Normally, he had a smart ass remark. But the ice mage's suggestion was just so simple that it stunned him into silence. He left Gray to search for an air conditioner. However, he didn't have the jewels to buy one and had no idea where to find one.

Natsu's feet started wandering the guild, eventually leading him to Master Makarov's office. He opened the door and was instantly hit with a blast of cold air. He looked at the window and found the A/C attached to it. Yes, that would do nicely. A mischievous grin crossed the pink haired man's face. He looked left and right to see if their tiny master was around. Not finding him, the Dragon Slayer got to work on taking it.

* * *

Lucy was soaking in the tub after another sweltering day. The blonde already finished cleaning up but was staying in the tub as a way to beat the heat. She allowed herself to sink into the water up to her eyes.

"This heat wave is killing me." Lucy gurgled. "I can't wait for it to break.

Her thoughts strayed to Natsu. She felt kinda bad but she couldn't take sleeping with him during this heat wave. His body heat was suffocating her. The blonde felt like she was cooking whenever Natsu was next to her.

The lack of intimacy between them not only in the physical holding and cuddling and but also in the carnal sense. Lucy hadn't had any loving from Natsu since the heat wave and it's been frustrating her. She couldn't get intimate with her boyfriend because his body heat was burning her alive.

Lucy groaned as she got up out of the tub. If the blonde didn't get any sex soon, she was going to hurt someone. The Stellar Spirit mage wrapped a towel around her voluptuous body and exited the bathroom.

As she left the bathroom, Lucy was hit with a blast of freezing cold air. She shivered immediately.

"What's going on?" Lucy wondered.

All of a sudden, she felt two strong arms wrap around both her waist and shoulders. Lucy knew exactly whose arms they were.

"Hey, Luce." Natsu whispered in her ear, causing Lucy to shiver for a reason not related to the cold air.

"Why is it cold?" She asked.

"I miss sleeping with you." Natsu told her simply. "You threw me out because I can't control my body heat. So I got an A/C. Now we can sleep in the same bed."

Lucy turned to their shared bedroom window and saw an air conditioner running on full blast. "Okay." She said. "Let me get some clothes on." The blonde tried to walk away but she was held in place by Natsu's arms.

"Natsu?" She whispered questioningly.

"Nuh-uh." Natsu murmured huskily. "We haven't slept in the same bed for three days. We have to make up for lost time."

Lucy could only nod her head and dropped her towel onto the floor.

After several hours of nocturnal activities, Natsu held Lucy in his arms as they slept. With the air conditioner running, he could finally cuddle his girlfriend's naked body next to his. Why didn't he do this sooner? Oh well, he had her now.

A thought crossed his mind.

"Where did I get this A/C from anyways?" Natsu asked himself. He couldn't think of the answer so he went back to sleep.

* * *

Back at the guild, Master Makarov felt dead on his feet. Today was another scorcher. He couldn't wait to get back to his office and sleep. When he entered the office, the tiny master's jaw dropped. His air conditioner was gone...not only gone. It was ripped right out of the window.

"My A/C." He whined. "My A/C. Who stole my A/C?"

Then he really examined the window. He saw a familiar set of hand prints on the wall. This had a certain pink haired mage's signature all over it.

**"NNNAAATTTSSSUUU!"** The master roared.

* * *

**Three prompts down. Four to go.  
**

**I'm not particularly happy with this but whatever.**

**Until tomorrow,**

**A. Angel**


	4. Protect

**Hey, all. This was suppose to be out yesterday. But two things got in the way with this. One, July 4th. For those non-Americans, this is our Independence Day. And what way to celebrate than to barbeque and watch that Will Smith movie over and over again. The second thing is that my daughter had a bad cough that freaked us out. So her mother and I took her to the hospital, panicked out of our skulls. Turns out, it was nothing. The nurse looked at us and says "First time parents?" We nodded. Then she laughed. She says "I figured. When a one year old starts coughing, first time parents start freaking out and then it turns out to be nothing." We all had a good laugh after that.**

**Anyways, here is chapter four. A reminder. This fic references chapter 8 of my NaLu A-Z fic. So if you haven't read it, you should. I think it's good. How about you?**

* * *

**Protect**

One. Two.

One. Two.

One. Two.

One. Two.

Natsu was doing push-ups to get his body into fighting shape. Ever since his encounter with that fat guy from Dead Cell, he wasn't allowed to take a mission until he had fully recovered. This was enforced by his girlfriend of two years, Lucy Heartfilia. She had not let him take a mission in over two weeks while his body recovered.

Natsu wasn't happy. Like anyone who has ever failed at something, he kept thinking about all the ways he could have done the mission better. He could have stayed with Lucy throughout the fight. He could have made sure that he didn't let himself get caught in the explosion mage's bombs. It was shameful.

The worst part about it, in Natsu's head, was the fact that it was Lucy who saved him. Not that he wasn't grateful about it. But he was the one who saved Lucy and not the other way around. The fact that the Dragon Slayer had to be saved because he got knocked out so quickly left a bad taste his mouth. Not only that, but Lucy got injured while protecting him. She sprained her arm. It wasn't as serious as it probably could have been but he kept thinking... what if it were worse.

That's why he was trying to get his body back to tiptop shape. Natsu would never fail Lucy again.

One. Two.

One. Two.

One. Two.

One. Two.

Happy watched on as Natsu pushed himself. The Dragon Slayer wasn't used to being the one who needs protecting. He was always the protector. So being saved by Lucy was somewhat emasculating to him. The blue Exceed figured that Natsu was working harder so that he never had to be in that position again. Happy couldn't see what the big deal was. If the situation were reversed and Lucy were the one being saved, Natsu would be all like "You're plenty strong. Don't let yourself get down." His friend should really take his own advice.

* * *

Once Natsu's body was back to perfect form, he told Lucy, Happy, Erza and Gray that he wanted to take another mission, a real tough one. They agreed with him. It would be a great team exercise. With Erza's S-class mage status, they were able to pick up a 10 year mission, a real tough one. For 200 million jewels, Team Natsu was tasked to investigate the Gray Rain that has been falling on towns, turning people to stone. Because the mission had to do with rain (and because Gray requested it), Juvia joined the team temporarily, along with Wendy for support and healing.

Before they set out, Lucy visited the Magnolia Magic Shop to pick up some new keys. Of course, they wouldn't be Golden Elliptical keys (of which she had ten) but they were still useful.

The journey to find the cause of the Gray Rain took them over the known world, listening to the stories of Gray Rain survivors. One of the stories was that once the Gray Rain fell, monsters would come and smash the stone statues, killing the humans. While following the path, they fought waves of monsters who tried to impede their path. Of course, they were no match for Team Natsu.

Natsu made sure to take the lead on every attack. He had to make up for screwing up the last time. Lucy noticed that and pulled him aside.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked. "Are you still upset about that last mission?"

Normally, Natsu would lie or play off how he felt. But Lucy was very perceptive. She would catch it very quickly when he wasn't telling being truthful. So Natsu decided to be honest.

"I just don't want to put you in that position again." Natsu sighed.

Lucy gently put her hand across Natsu's face. "Natsu, I told you." She whispered. "You'll always be my hero. I can protect you and you can protect me. Let's protect each other, alright?"

Natsu leaned into Lucy's hand. "Alright." He grinned. "I'll be counting on you."

"I'll be counting on you too." Lucy smiled.

* * *

At last, they reached their destination, the monster town of Dialac. There they found those who were responsible for causing the Gray Rain: a moose monster named Borunga, a giant lizard man named Seth, and the creature that was summoning the rain, a giant anteater know as the Rainmaker.

The group split into three teams. Because Juvia was a water mage and had great synchronicity with Gray, they took on the Rainmaker. Juvia was able to keep the Gray Rain at bay by keeping the clouds at bay while the ice mage took on the monster proper. Erza and Wendy fought Borunga. The woman known as Titania fought a fierce battle with the moose monster while Wendy provided support on the sidelines with her booster spells. Natsu and Lucy took on Seth. Or actually, they would have if the lizard monster wasn't such a coward. As soon as his fellow monsters were engaged in battle, Seth ran away, making the Fire Dragon Slayer and the Stellar Spirit mage chase after him.

Seth ran out of the town and into a nearby woods while Natsu and Lucy gave chase.

"Come back here, you coward, and fight like a man!" Natsu shouted with no thought to the irony of his statement.

Lucy did, however, and had a demure look on her face.

Seeing as he wasn't going to get away with those two tenacious mages chasing after him, the lizard monster decided that he had to fight. Luckily for him, he had the advantage in this woods as he could camouflage his body to match the environment.

"Where is that overgrown lizard?" Natsu roared.

"Be careful, Natsu." Lucy told him, knowing that this was going to end violently.

Seth pounced at Natsu, who heard him coming and with a flaming kick, booted the giant lizard. However, he retaliated by grabbing the pink haired mage's legs with his elongated tongue, causing the mage to be thrown back with the lizard.

Natsu hit a tree and toppled it with the force of impact. But other than that, he was fine. He got up and grabbed Seth's tongue and pulled it towards him so that he could see its face.

Lucy ran over to where Natsu was in an attempt to help him. What got her attention wasn't her boyfriend grabbing that thing's slimy tongue (although that in and of itself was pretty gross), it was the lizard monster's cheeks puffing up. There should be no reason why that monster should have puffy cheeks unless there was something in its mouth.

She reached for her keys and pulled out one of her silver ones, just in case.

**Open the Gate of the Shield, Scutum.**

A flash of light radiated from the key and in an instant, a large metal shield appeared in her hands. (A side note here. Scutum is just like Caelum in the way that it is a non-sentient spirit. Like Caelum, it has no will and when summoned, protects whomever is holding it from all harm.) With her shield in hand, Lucy ran over to Natsu.

Seth, though he was in pain because Natsu was pulling on his tongue, was grinning internally. His other skill besides camouflage was acidic spit that was highly corrosive. All he had to do was gather some of it in his cheeks and then, when he was face to face with the pink haired mage, vomit it on him. The bastard wouldn't know what hit him.

"I've got you now." Natsu groaned, enunciating each letter as he pulled on the lizard's tongue more.

Natsu noticed a bit too late that the monster was grinning. He smelled the acid as Seth spit it out. Knowing he couldn't get out of the way in time, the Fire Dragon Slayer closed his eyes to protect them from the acidic spit. However, it never reached his body. When he opened them again, he saw that Lucy was in front of him with a large shield.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Natsu yelled at her.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm protecting you." Lucy groaned as the smell of the acid wafted through her nose.

Natsu could only watch in awe at his girlfriend bore the heavy weight of the acid. She was doing it again, protecting him. The last time Lucy did that, she fought an explosion mage by herself while he could do nothing because he had taken a bomb to the chest and passed out. He had vowed that he would never let himself be weak like that again and would protect Lucy at all cost.

But here he was again, being the one protected instead of doing the protecting.

Lucy looked back at Natsu and smiled. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Natsu, I told you before." She said in a soft voice. "Let me protect you from time to time."

Natsu remembered their talk after afterwards on how he would always be Lucy's hero regardless of whether or not he protected her or she protected him. He smiled back. "Alright." He told the blonde. "Hold out for a little longer. I'll get this damn tongue off of me."

Lucy nodded and focused on holding the acid back while Natsu disentangled himself from the tongue. In an instant, he was free. Lucy then proceeded to shove the shield into Seth's mouth. The acid had no place to go with the shield stuck... nowhere but down. As painful as it was, the giant lizard monster had no choice but to swallow the acidic spit. As he was suffering from the pain, he tried to dislodge the shield from his mouth so he could breathe better.

While the monster was distracted, Natsu and Lucy regrouped.

"Thanks for protecting me." Natsu told his girlfriend.

"No thanks needed." Lucy replied. "I have a plan to finish him once and for all."

"Okay. Tell me." Natsu responded.

"I've been working on my Shooting Stars spell." Lucy began. "I think I've got the knack of it. You distract him while I gather the magic to cast the spell."

Natsu nodded. He knew that they were an unstoppable team when they worked together. Although he wanted to crush Seth by himself, the Fire Dragon Slayer was curious about Lucy's spell. He didn't get the chance to see it the first time because he passed out. Now he was going to get the opportunity to see the fruits of her training first hand.

"Alright." Natsu answered. "Do your thing and I'll do mine." With that, he charged the lizard monster. Lucy, meanwhile, got into a meditative stance to gather her magic.

Seth had removed the shield and threw it on the ground. Scutum disappeared into the ether.

"You two will pay for that." He growled.

Natsu charged the overgrown lizard with a flaming fist, slamming it against the monster's head. The monster retaliated by using its tail to whip Natsu across the face. It pushed him back and left a giant red bruise on his face but otherwise he was fine. He turned to Lucy. She had a golden glow around her.

Even though Natsu should be paying attention to the enemy in front of him, he couldn't help but stare at his girlfriend. He had seen her in pretty much every way imaginable including fully nude. However, Lucy looked positively like a goddess in that glow. God, maybe he should let her cast that spell every so often.

The lizard man swiped at Natsu again with his tail but this time the Fire Dragon Slayer caught the tail and with his tremendous strength, swung him around in circles. With one flick of his wrist, the pink haired mage threw Seth across the woods, uprooting many of the trees in the process.

"I'm ready, Natsu." Lucy shouted. "Get out of the way."

Natsu ran towards Lucy as she began her spell. As she did, he noticed that the skies were getting darker as clouds started swirling overhead. How odd.

_Oh celestial voyagers, faster and brighter than the gods, rain down and purify this wretched soul. I call upon thee to lead my enemies to their final rest under heaven's menacing glare. Favor this ground for the fulfillment of thy eternal journey._

**SHOOTING STARS**

Natsu looked up and what he saw took all of the words right out of his mouth. Giant meteors hurtled from the sky down to the earth where Seth lied. They made a powerful impact against the ground, shaking it.

The Fire Dragon Slayer's eyes widened. Since when did Lucy have so much power? Natsu wasn't sure that even _he_ could survive such an onslaught. His girlfriend was crazy strong.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. "That was amazing."

Lucy smiled back. "Did you really think so?" She asked. "I think that..." She would have said more but her eyes rolled up in the back of his head.

Lucy fainted on the spot but before she could hit the ground, Natsu grabbed her. He couldn't wipe the grin off of his face.

"Damn, Lucy." He said to her unconscious body, laughing as he did. "That was insane. You were amazing. Now I have to work twice as hard to keep up." He smiled while his girlfriend rested. "Rest now, Luce. You deserve it."

Natsu placed Lucy on his back and locked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Now that she was secured on his back, he went looking for his nakama.

* * *

Walking back towards the town, Natsu found Erza, Wendy, Gray and Juvia running towards them. The pink haired mage waved back at them.

"Hey." He greeted. "Did you guys finish your fights?"

"Yeah, me and Juvia finished our fight long before you did." Gray replied. "Where's Lucy?"

Natsu moved his head to the side to show Gray that Lucy was on his back, resting.

"She used so much magic power in our fight." The Fire Dragon Slayer explained. "So I'm letting her rest on me."

"Very good, Natsu. You are taking good care of Lucy." Erza smiled motherly. "Anyways, with Wendy's help, I was able to clean up the monster." She said solemnly. "Coincidently, I now have a new pair of moose antlers."

Gray, Juvia and Natsu blanched as Erza showed them the removed antlers. Wendy just laughed nervously. She was there when Titania ripped off the moose's antlers with her bare hands. This woman was insane.

"By the way," Erza continued. "during my fight, I saw the skies darken and meteors drop out of the sky."

"Juvia saw that as well." The water mage chirped.

"Yeah. What was that?" Gray asked.

"Was it Lucy's spell again?" The redhead asked.

Natsu nodded vigorously. "It was amazing. I have never seen anything like it. It was like...swoosh and like...boom... and the lizard guy was like NOOOOO. And then he went squish."

Gray's eyes bulged so much that they were in danger of popping out of his head. "Really? That was Lucy? Damn." He whistled.

"I know, right?" Natsu grinned. "That's my girl." He said, beaming with pride. His girlfriend was something else, alright.

"Lucy-san has gotten much stronger, hasn't she?" Wendy asked.

"Juvia wishes she could have seen it first hand." The water mage sighed. "Perhaps next time, she'll ask Lucy-san on a mission just to see it."

Erza smiled at Lucy's unconscious form. "You've done well, Lucy." She smiled at the Stellar Spirit mage. "Well, if we are done, let's go collect our reward."

The team cheered. Another mission completed.

Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Wendy and Erza prepared to make the trip home while the Dragon Slayer carried Lucy on his back. He turned his head and saw his girlfriend's serene face. It made him smile.

"You did well today." Natsu whispered to her with a smile on his face. "Thank you for protecting me again. You're my hero."

* * *

**I am thoroughly committed to making Lucy a strong female character instead of a damsel in distress. Lucy is strong. I just wish that Mashima would showcase her strength every once in a while instead of making her the victim of circumstance.  
**

**Anyways... Loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd loved to hear from you.  
**

**Til next time,  
**

**A. Angel.**


	5. First Meeting

**Oh hai. Today is the last day of NaLu week. However, I haven't finished this story. So I will finish this in the next couple of days. So enjoy the next prompts.**

* * *

**First Meeting**

Natsu and Lucy was walking through a flowery meadow while Happy was flying besides them. He was leading his girlfriend of two and a half years by the hand and by the look on his face, he was excited.

"Come on, Lucy." Natsu said. "We're almost there."

"Where are we going, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"It's a surprise." Natsu grinned. "You'll see."

"Can't I at least get a clue?" Lucy begged cutely.

"Nuh-uh." Happy giggled. "Lucy will get it if gets a hint."

Lucy sighed but allowed herself to be led. She could see on his face that they were getting closer to their destination because his grin kept getting wider and wider. Eventually, they arrived to... Well, Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was a giant human-sized ball of light. Natsu and Happy looked positively cheerful whereas Lucy looked perplexed.

"We're here." Natsu and Happy cheered.

"What is this?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know." Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "But put your hand through it." He told her.

Lucy furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"Do you trust me?" Natsu asked. "It'll be safe. Do it." He told her with a smile.

Lucy sighed. That smile of his always catches her off-guard. Her boyfriend could always make her feel at ease even in the weirdest of situations. Taking a deep breath, Lucy placed her onto the ball of light with great trepidation. As she did, her hand started to pass through it but it didn't come out the other side. She gasped and turned around to Natsu and Happy. They were grinning like fools.

"Isn't it cool?" Natsu cheered.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know." The Dragon Slayer admitted. "But it's cool. And that's not even the best part."

"The best part?" Lucy wondered.

Natsu grinned. Then he pushed Lucy into the ball of light. She screeched as she was pushed. The blonde saw a flash of light as she stumbled. She expected to stumble onto the ground. However, what she didn't expect was to find herself in a forest. Wait a minute. Wasn't she in a meadow just a couple of minutes ago?

"Natsu?" Lucy asked. "Natsu, Happy where are you?"

She looked around for the duo. She didn't have to look long because in a flash of light, Natsu and Happy appeared before her eyes.

"Yo." The Dragon Slayer grinned and waved his hand.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled. "What the heck is that?"

"I don't really know." The pink haired mage grinned. "But it is pretty cool."

"You don't know anything?" She pressed on for more information.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He admitted "But they've been showing up ever since the future Lucy and future Rogue came back to the past."

Lucy closed her eyes. "Could this be a dimensional gate?" She mused to herself. "How did you even find this place?" She asked Natsu.

"We found it on our way back from a solo mission." Natsu explained. "We went through it once and found it."

"This is awesome." Happy cheered. "We're back."

"But why would you pass through this light?" Lucy asked.

"Why not?" Natsu and Happy shrugged their shoulders. "It looked like fun."

Lucy furrowed her brow demurely. What kind of answer is that?

"Now come on." Natsu said, reaching out his hand to Lucy. "I haven't shown you the best part."

Lucy would have taken Natsu's hand as usual but then she saw a large shadow in the sky. She raised her hand and pointed to it.

"N-n-na-tsu." Lucy said, shaking in fear. "What is that?"

Natsu turned around to see the shadow getting closer and larger. Natsu crossed arms in front of his face, preparing to take on whatever was coming at them. Then, in an instant, Natsu was gone. All Lucy saw a giant monster take him away.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted. And that's when she saw it, the thing that took her boyfriend away. "A dragon!"

It was a dragon, a verifiable dragon, a majestic red and gold dragon. Granted, seeing dragons isn't something new to Lucy. But to see one again so soon...

She turned to Happy who had an unusually unreadable expression on his face. Lucy turned back to face Natsu who was throwing punches and kicks at the dragon. However, the dragon blocked it with its wings and tail.

"Natsu." Lucy whispered. The blonde couldn't take it. She was just standing there while Natsu fought a dragon by himself. The Stellar Spirit mage had to help him. She ran over towards the Dragon Slayer but then she felt Happy's weight on her shoulder.

"Leave Natsu be." Happy explained. "He's a Dragon Slayer and he's fighting a dragon. You won't any help to him."

"You can't expect me to just watch him as he fights by himself." She yelled at her Exceed friend.

To this, Happy laughed. "You wouldn't understand." He told her. "This is a fight between men."

This confused Lucy. Why isn't Happy as afraid as she was for Natsu? She turned back to her boyfriend who continued to fight the red dragon. As she watched, she noticed something strange. Their fight looked less like a fight to the death and more like the kind of fighting that Natsu and Gray do every so often. It looked like they were wrestling.

And then Natsu was thrown to the ground. The dragon then slammed its claw on the pink haired mage's chest, causing him to exhale sharply.

"You are still too weak, Nastu." The dragon roared in his face.

Natsu, instead of being angry, smiled instead. "Damn. I thought I had you this time, dad." He snickered.

Lucy's hair stood on end. Natsu knew this dragon? Not only that, he called it dad. Could it be?

The dragon turned around and finally realized that Natsu wasn't alone.

"So you have returned, Happy." Igneel growled.

"Hey, Igneel." Happy greeted cheerfully. "How've you been?"

"Igneel?!" Lucy squeaked, consequently losing the color from her body.. This was Natsu's dad? All of a sudden, Lucy felt very self-conscious. She had always assumed that she would never see Natsu's father again due to the fact that all dragons disappeared in X777. Now she felt nervous. Did he know about her relationship with his son? Would Igneel approve of her relationship with Natsu? Would she measure up? Damn, she wasn't prepared for this.

Natsu pushed Igneel's claw off of him and walked over towards Lucy. "Dad, I wanna introduce you to my girlfriend, Lucy." He said, placing his arm around Lucy's shoulders and kissing her on the cheek.

Igneel crawled over to Lucy. I say crawl but it was more like stomped. Lucy started hyperventilating. "I'm not prepared." Lucy thought in her head. "I am so not ready for this."

Finally Igneel reached Lucy. Then he did something that the Stellar Spirit mage found weird. He started sniffing her. This unnerved Lucy.

"So she's a mage." Igneel's voice rumbled.

Lucy's eyes widened. How could he tell just by sniffing her?

Igneel lowered his head to look Lucy in the eyes. "So tell me, how much is Natsu paying you?" Igneel asked.

Lucy let out a loud screech. Did the dragon think that she was a hooker or something?

Natsu looked indignant. "Hey!" He shouted with a blush on his face. "I'm not paying her to do anything."

"Then I can't explain how a girl who is way out of your league is dating you." Igneel snickered...or that was what Lucy thought he was doing. It was hard to tell.

The pink haired mage growled angrily and stomped his foot on the ground. "What's that suppose to mean?" He roared.

The two began to bicker amongst themselves. They reminded Lucy of children instead of adults.

"Igneel-san." Lucy said in a quiet voice, stopping the two bickering. "I love Natsu and that's no lie."

Igneel paused. Then, the dragon smiled, or that was what Lucy interpreted its facial features to be.

"It's because of Natsu that I've become the mage and the woman that I am today." Lucy said with a smile and tears streaming down her face. "He's protected me, forged me and shown me so many things. I am so very grateful that I met him all those years ago. He makes me happy as a mage and as a woman, happier than I've ever been in my life. If it wasn't for him, who knows where I'd be. That's why I am so glad to be his girlfriend and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world."

The more Lucy said to Igneel about Natsu, the happier the pink haired man became. He couldn't help the tears that streamed down his face. "Lucy." He said

Igneel wrapped his long tail around Natsu's waist and lifted him up to meet the dragon's eyes.

"Natsu." Igneel rumbled. "You better protect this girl with all of your strength. Love her with all of your heart. Take care of her with all of your soul. Do everything in your very being to make her happy for the rest of your life. Because a girl like Lucy here only comes once in a lifetime."

Natsu grinned at his father. "Of course. I would have done that anyways." He told Igneel.

Igneel grinned back and dropped Natsu on the ground. "Alright. It's time for you to leave." He told them. "The portal will be closing soon. You have to leave before then. Otherwise you'll be stuck in this place for months."

Natsu nodded and rejoined Lucy and Happy.

"Please come back another time, Lucy." Igneel growled. "I would love to hear more details about yours and Natsu's relationship."

Lucy smiled. "Of course." She said. "Goodbye, Igneel-san."

"Bye, Igneel." Happy said cheerfully.

"Goodbye, Lucy, Happy, Natsu." Igneel said solemnly.

Igneel led the trio back towards the giant ball of light. The three of them walked through it and returned to their own world.

Natsu held Lucy close to him as they returned to Fairy Tail. He remembered his father's words. It is true. A girl like Lucy only comes once in a lifetime. That's why he was so happy to have found her. Through all of the good times and the bad, he wanted to be right at her side. He wanted more days with Lucy, more months with her, more years, more decades. He wanted her for forever or even longer than forever, if such a concept existed. Natsu didn't know. What he did know was that he loved Lucy and every moment he spent with her was the best moment in his life.

* * *

**I've always wondered how Lucy would react to meeting Igneel. So here's my interpretation.**

**So, loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.**

**Til next time,**

**A. Angel.**


	6. Nervous

**Sorry this is so late. I've been finding that I have no drive to write. I've been working long hours and spending time with my family. And when I do sit at the computer, I find that I'm not writing anything. I don't know. I need a kick in the butt to write these. In any case, here's the next chapter. It's not very good. I know. But enjoy or don't.  
**

* * *

**Nervous**

It was an odd thing for Natsu to be nervous. Then again, it was his first time. There were so many expectations and he wanted everything to be perfect because it was for Lucy. His girl deserves no less. However. he had no idea how to go about it. He didn't have the appropriate items either. Which meant that he had to...

Natsu groaned aloud. He had to do it though the thought was very painful

"I have to ask Gray for clothes for my date with Lucy." He whined.

With his head hung low, Natsu made the long trudge towards Gray's apartment.

* * *

Natsu can count on one hand how many times he had visited Gray's place. Originally, the ice mage lived in Fairy Tail's boy's dorm. However, at 16, he moved out and found an apartment close to the guild. The reason was that his next door neighbor was Loke and the lion spirit was always bringing women to his room. I'll let you be the ones to put two and two together as to why Gray moved out.

This actually worked out perfectly for him. For one, he didn't have to hear a whole bunch of guys complain that he had gotten naked in the dorm's common area. Two, it was really quiet so it gave him a place to escape the noise that is Fairy Tail whenever he needed. Three, it gave him a sense of independence that he couldn't get if he lived at the dorms. And the fourth reason only came about when he started dating Juvia. She could come over to his place without any hassles from the guys about what they were going to do in his room or the matron of the girls' dorm yelling her head off about trying to steal Juvia's innocence.

This is where Natsu found himself, in front of Gray's apartment door. With a more timid knock than he had ever done, he waited for the ice mage to answer his door. He just needed the bastard's help for Lucy's sake. He wanted to make her first time special. So why was he like this?

The door opened. Gray stood at the threshold of his door shirtless with a mad expression on his face.

"Oh it's you." Gray growled.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" Natsu asked.

Before the ice mage could answer, a voice could be heard in his apartment. "Gray-sama, who's at the door?" It was Juvia's voice.

"It's the flame brain." Gray yelled out loud. Natsu glared at that name.

There was a moving of furniture. "What brings Natsu-san here?" She asked.

Gray turned to Natsu. "What **ARE** you doing here?" He asked.

Natsu pouted and frowned. "I need your help." He mumbled.

"What?" Gray yelled, putting his hand to his ear.

"I said I need your help!" Natsu roared back.

"Is that how you ask for favors?" The ice mage challenged.

"Shut up and help me!" The Dragon Slayer yelled.

"Why the hell should I help you?" Gray answered back. "I don't like you."

"Are you going to be like that?" Natsu asked.

"Well, maybe if you go 'Oh, great and powerful Gray Fullbuster, please lend your precious time to a lamer like me.'" The black haired man said.

"I would rather die before I say something like that." Natsu told him.

Before their argument could escalate, Juvia came into Natsu's view. The pink hared mage regarded her very curiously. Her hair was in disarray, her clothes were rumpled and she was making sure to cover her neck. It didn't take a genius to know what Gray and Juvia were doing before he got there.

"Hello, Natsu-san." She smiled. "What brings you here?"

Natsu was grateful that Juvia came to the door. Now maybe he could get somewhere. "Juvia, I'm trying to get this guy to help me with something for Lucy." The Dragon Slayer said. "But he's being an asshole."

"I'm trying to have some private time with my girlfriend." Gray growled. "I don't want you here now...or ever for that matter."

Juvia put a delicate hand on Gray's shoulder. "Gray-sama, you should help Natsu-san." She told him. "It would make Lucy-san happy and it would make Juvia happy to see Lucy-san happy." Then she tiptoed towards his ear. "And Juvia would surely show Gray-sama her gratitude if he helps Natsu-san."

Natsu saw a curious thing when he saw Gray's face. Though the ice mage was trying to keep it stoic, there was a light pink dusting on his cheek and a half-smirk crossed his lips.

"Fine." Gray sighed. "I'll help you." He told Natsu. "What do you want?"

"I'm taking Lucy to some fancy restaurant and I don't have the appropriate clothes for it." Natsu told him. "Do you have something that I could wear?"

Gray and Juvia looked at each other in confusion.

"What?" Natsu asked.

The ice and water mage laughed, chuckling so hard that they doubled over with pain. This did not make the Dragon Slayer happy. Here he was, being serious about something, and they laugh at him.

"What's so funny?" Natsu roared.

"Natsu-san has to admit it's kind of ironic that he's asking Gray-sama for some clothes." Juvia laughed.

Ohhh. Now he got it. "Fine, fine. It's funny. Now do you have something or not?" He asked.

"My good shirts are in the wash but I'll get you some pants." Gray told him.

Gray stepped inside his apartment for a moment then he came back to the door with some nice black dress slacks. He handed them to Natsu. "You done?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, go back to whatever it is that you were doing." Natsu mumbled.

Almost instantly, the door was slammed in his face. He could hear giggling. He blushed. Natsu left Gray's place in a hurry before he could hear anything serious.

* * *

Natsu went to Alzack and Bisca's house. He asked if the gun mage had any proper clothes that he could borrow. Alzack gave him a purple polo shirt but told Natsu that he needed a blazer to go with it. The Dragon Slayer asked for a blazer but Alzack said he didn't have right now. Natsu thanked the gun mage and left.

So now Natsu had pants and a nice shirt. All that was left was an appropriate blazer. However, he didn't know anyone who had one. As he was lamenting his face, the Magnolia Bells began to ring and the city started moving around. That could only mean one thing. Gildarts Clive has come back to town. With a sprint and a smile on his face, Natsu headed for the guild.

When he arrived, Natsu saw Gildarts having a drink with his daughter, Cana. They looked like they were having a good time. He ran up to the elder man.

"Yo, Gildarts." Natsu waved.

The old mage chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I'll fight you later." Gildarts said. "Let me finish my drink first."

"I don't want to fight you." Natsu told him. "I need your help."

Gildarts and Cana stopped drinking. Natsu doesn't want to fight? This had to be an imposter.

The card mage grabbed Natsu by his mouth and started pulling his jaw down. "You can't be the real Natsu." Cana mumbled. "The real Natsu would want to fight Gildarts as soon as he got here."

"Let go of my face." Natsu said although it came out as gibberish because Cana was stretching out his face. "I just need something for my date with Lucy."

Cana stopped for a second, stunned at the revelation.

"YOU ARE AN IMPOSTER." The drunk woman yelled, stretching his face even more. "Natsu would never have the balls to ask Lucy out on a date."

Natsu pushed Cana away from his face. "Lucy's my girlfriend now." He explained.

"It's the truth." Erza, who was sitting at the bar eating a strawberry cake, said. "They've been together for about three weeks."

Cana looked stunned. "Well, I'll be." She said with all of the color sucked out of her.

"Well, if it's for your date, then I'll help you." Gildarts told Natsu. "What do you need?"

"I need a blazer for the fancy restaurant I'm taking Lucy to for our date." Natsu explained.

"Very nice." The red haired woman said with a smile on her face. "What's the name of the restaurant?"

Natsu looked at his hand on which he wrote the name of the restaurant and direction on how to get there. "It's Le Soleil D'or." He said, butchering the pronunciation.

The three Fairy Tail mages' eyes widened so much, they looked like they would pop out of their skulls. "You are taking Lucy there?" They said in tandem.

"What's wrong with that?" Natsu asked.

"How can you afford such a place?" Cana asked. "It cost as much as an S-class mission."

"Nothing's too good for my Lucy." Natsu said.

"I am impressed." Erza said with a smile. "I hope she has a good time."

Gildarts got up from the bar and grabbed Natsu by the scruff of his neck. "I think I have the perfect thing for you." The Crash mage said. "Come with me."

Without giving Natsu an out, Gildarts took him to his house. He found the perfect blazer for the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu, take this." The elder man said with pride in his voice. "This is my special blazer."

He handed the Dragon Slayer a purple and red plaid striped blazer. Now if Natsu was more fashion conscious, he would have burned that atrocity to ashes. That thing has never been in style, even thirty years ago when it was tailored. But Natsu didn't know. He was just grateful.

"I wore this blazer when on my first date with Cana's mother." Gildarts explained. "Because of this, I got lucky with her. If you wear this, so will you."

Natsu was honored. "Thanks, Gildarts."

"Go get 'em, tiger." He said, patting Natsu's back. Unfortunately, the elder man misjudged his strength and knocked him out of his house and across Magnolia.

* * *

Lucy was preparing for her date with Natsu in her own way. She had taken a long bath, used lots of moisturizer and creams, and summoned Cancer to fix her hair. Virgo opened her own gate while Lucy was having her hair done and gave her a dress from the Spirit Realm.

Just like Natsu, the Stellar Spirit mage was nervous. This was her first date not just with her new boyfriend, but her first date ever. She didn't know what kind of expectations she should have. On one hand, she had only experienced dates vicariously from girls like Mira and Juvia. On the other hand, it was Natsu. She had known him for more than two years before they got together and she knew what he was capable of.

Finally, she was ready. Lucy looked in her full body mirror. Her dress was a spaghetti strap navel blue shimmering one piece. She put on some eye shadow and an orange scented body spray. She let her hair down, deciding against tying her hair for her first date. Lucy had to admit, she looked good.

She looked at her clock. It was nearly time for the big date. There was a knock on Lucy's door. It was always weird when Natsu knocked on her door instead of coming through the window. Lucy opened her door and saw Natsu.

Natsu was dressed in Gray's black slacks, Alzack's purple polo shirt and Gildarts's blazer that was an abomination against the heavens. His hair was still spiky but much more controlled. He had made sure to take a bath before putting on the clothes. And just before arriving, he had made sure to pick up some flowers for his date.

Natsu took his first look at Lucy and felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. How was it that someone so beautiful would pick him above all other guys? She was perfect in every way. The pink haired man started feeling nervous all over again.

"Hey Luce." He said. "You look...nice."

Lucy took one look at Natsu and took everything in. The Dragon Slayer looked nice and neat. But that blazer... That blazer was so terrible that she couldn't help what she did next.

"Bwahahaha!" Lucy started laughing.

Natsu frowned. This wasn't what he expected. "What the hell, Lucy?" He asked.

"Natsu, who gave you that blazer?" She asked between laughing gasps.

"Gildarts." Natsu mumbled.

"No wonder." She chuckled. "Take off that blazer. It's like you are wrapped in a Jackson Pollack painting."

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"Never mind." She smiled.

Natsu took off the blazer and gave it to Lucy who dropped it on her bed. She leaned towards his ear. "You know, besides the blazer, you look real nice." She complemented.

The Dragon Slayer smirked. "Thanks." He said, proffering his arm. "Come on. Our reservations await."

The blonde linked their arms together and, with that, they headed to the restaurant.

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe it how Natsu had gotten reservations for this restaurant. Le Soleil D'or was so exclusive that even the waiting list had a waiting list. The Stellar Spirit mage couldn't believe that her boyfriend would even bother with such a place. The Dragon Slayer wasn't one for places where people thought they were better than everyone else. Natsu was really going all out for their first actual date.

Natsu walked up to the maitre d'. "Excuse me. We've got reservations." The pink haired mage told him.

"Name." The maitre d' asked.

"Natsu Dragneel." He said.

The maitre d' looked through his reservation book. "I'm sorry. I don't see your name."

Natsu started getting angry. "What?" He yelled, flames licking his body. "Loke said that he'd reserved a slot for us."

Lucy started chuckling nervously. So that's how Natsu got the reservations. "I'm sure that they are under another name, Natsu." She said, trying to placate him. If she knew Natsu like she did, the Dragon Slayer would start accusing maitre d' of ripping them off.

"No, Lucy!" Natsu roared. "He's cheating us out of our date."

"Lucy?" The maitre d' asked. "As in Lucy Heartfilia?"

Natsu stopped raging. "Is her name in there?" He asked.

"Yes." The maitre d' told him. "I have a reservation Lucy Heartfilia, the love of my life, and the pink headed idiot who only got my master because he had sex with her." He said in an even voice without even batting an eye.

Lucy blushed furiously while Natsu's jaw dropped. Neither could believe that Loke would write such a thing. Also, how did he know. The only people who knew were Erza (because Lucy was forced to tell her) and Gray (whom Natsu told to get advice from him). And if the lion spirit knew, did her other spirits know as well?

"Please follow me." He said and walked towards their table. Natsu and Lucy followed the maitre d' to their table.

When they reached their table, Natsu thought it would be romantic if he pulled out the chair for Lucy. I mean, he had read about it in magazines and stuff. Maybe he should try it. The Dragon Slayer grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it out.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Lucy thought. She made a move to sit down. However, the pink haired mage pulled it out too far and she almost fell on her butt. Luckily, Natsu push the chair forward and caught her. But he had miscalculated his own strength and pushed her stomach into the table. Lucy let out a gasp of pain.

"Sorry." Natsu laughed nervously.

"It's okay." She said, a bit out of breath. Natsu took his seat afterwards.

There was an uneasy silence between them which was odd. They had been friends for more than two years. They could talk about anything and everything. However, now they were entering a new stage in their relationship and it unnerved them. Neither knew how to act and it was causing tension between them.

Without any regards as to the uneasiness surrounding Natsu and Lucy, one of the busboys put a candelabra up and set the candles on fire.

Natsu looked at the fire on the candelabra. It looked and smelled delicious. It was one of those paraffin dealies that give off a nice scent when burnt. The scent from that candle is summer ocean breeze. He wanted it.

Lucy watched Natsu drool over the flame. She found it cute.

"Natsu, you're drooling." Lucy chided.

Natsu snapped back to normal. "Sorry." He chuckled. "I'm just hungry."

Lucy smiled. Whether Natsu realized it or not, he was keeping her nervousness in check with his antics.

The waiter came and the couple ordered two specials. When it came, Natsu was horrified. The special was goose liver cooked in an orange sauce and parsley. However, that's not what it looked like. It was a piece of meat no bigger than a circle that he could make with his thumb and his index finger.

"What the hell is that?" Natsu yelled at his plate.

The waiter sighed and placed the couples' plates in front of them. "This is your meal." He said.

"But there's hardly anything on it!" The Dragon Slayer said, slamming his fist against the table.

"You obviously do not have a refined palate." The waiter turned his nose down on the Fairy Tail mage. "This is the rare Carthago goose liver, that can only be harvested at a certain time and season. It has to be cooked by a trained specialist with the correct spices and at the right temperature."

The waiter went on and on about the meal. Lucy watched Natsu's face as he grounded his teeth. He was pissed. The Stellar Spirit mage couldn't help but smile. She already knew that Natsu wasn't one for fancy places and places where people looked down on everyone. She knew that if they stay here longer, the Dragon Slayer was going to get violent. It was time to take action.

"Natsu, let's go somewhere else." The blonde told her date.

"No!" Natsu roared. "You deserve the best date ever."

"If I'm with you, it's going to be the best date ever." Lucy said with a smile.

That smile, Natsu lost it with that smile. For that smile, he would ride every vehicle until he threw up. For that smile, he would gladly fight the greatest terrors of the world until his last breath. For that smile, he would give up eating fire. There isn't anything he woudn't do for that smile.

"Alright." He smiled back.

With that, Natsu took Lucy by the hand and they left the restaurant. A couple of seconds later, the Dragon Slayer came back inside, consumed the fire and left.

* * *

Natsu and Lucy were at the local fast food joint in formal wear, chowing down on some juicy burgers. They were enjoying each other's company and smiling at each other. For the life of them, the Dragon Slayer and the Stellar Spirit mage couldn't imagine why they were so nervous. It wasn't like they were starting from scratch. They had two years of a very deep friendship as a foundation. This foundation was stronger than 10,000 dragons, the Balam Alliance and all the forces of darkness. Their relationship could handle anything thrown at it. Honestly, there was no need to be nervous.

* * *

**It's not my best chapter. I know. But this chapter has been frustrating me. It wasn't coming out the way I wanted. And now with my attention distracted, this is probably the best I can make it. I'm sorry.  
**

**Still, leave me a review to tell me what you think of it.  
**

**One more prompt to go. I promise it'll be a short one.**

**A. Angel**


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